Biography:

Research themes

Research Interests

My current research interests: studying the processes which go on in magma reservoirs. experimentally and then trying to observe them in the field. I try to model how the fluid dynamic processes which can occur in viscous fluids lead to the rock formations that are seen in the field. My experiments focus on the interactions between porous layers (representing a crystal mush) and the bulk fluid (representing molten magma) when they convect. I also look at the behaviour and rheology of crystal-mushes, working with rheologists at Unilever on looking at how an ice-slush evolves as it crystallises. This research has expanded to look at the behaviour of anorthositic/leucogabbroic blocks within large basaltic magma chambers - such as Skaergaard and the Sept Iles intrusion - where the plagioclase-magma density paradox has yet to be answered.

One of my other interests has been looking at how minerals grow under different cooling environments. I have studied how plagioclase size and shape in a basalt depends on the size of the intrusion and the conditions within the chamber.

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